Something to Talk About
by freedomgeneration
Summary: Draco and Hermione are on a committee aimed at stabilizing the wizarding economy. They get to meet at the end of each quarter. It all began when they went out for a post-meeting meeting. Slightly AU, Post-Hogwarts HG/DM Complete M for mild swearing, to be safe. Enjoy! [I noticed the lack of breaks, and have corrected the mistake. Enjoy!]
1. From Awkward to Yearning

Disclaimer: All you recognize, not mine and vice versa.

Tags: slightly AU

Author's note: Enjoy and review!

New: Featuring corrected spelling! Enjoy! :D

princecharmprincesswit

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

Hermione Granger: brilliant, blunt yet completely lacking in social graces- simply horrifyingly awkward.

Resting her forehead against the cool mirror, she cursed at how many times she could possibly put her foot in her mouth and swallow it, too. For Merlin's sake, she only had two feet (both left to boot). She drew back and stared at her reflection in the mood lighting of the water closet. Brown hair, normally curly with a vengeance, was wrestled in a bun. Brown eyes, and lips stained with a rosy borrowed lipstick from Ginny. She turned on her heel and exited.

Sailing quite gracefully, it was just like her to bump into a chair before managing to sit down. Facing Gregory, a quite decent bloke so far, she stared.

"So." Come one Hermione, conversing has to be easier than this.

"How's your department?" What sort of question was that? Bring it back to the office Hermione, brilliant.

Thank goodness Gregory was such a nice bloke. He smiled quite charmingly, all straight pearly whites, opened his mouth unnaturally wide and said, "You know Merkel from the Wizarding Cobblestones and Lanes Department? He got transferred last Wednesday. Turns out he was banging the boss's wife. Ye Old Cotteridge's wife. Bloody disgusting, right?"

Only Hermione Granger could destroy a date by uncovering an office gossip-monger.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

"Good morning, Ms. Granger."

"Morning, Leslie."

"Here are correspondences for you, and some files for the briefing with the committee later on at two."

Hermione tucked the papers under her arm, holding her coffee cup aloft, with her briefcase in the other hand. Her heels snap-clicking on the floor, she kicked her office door shut until lunchtime.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

After her lunch date with Ginny and Luna, she took her files form her office and stepped five minutes early into the boardroom. She set out her files just so, and poured a cup of tea for herself, topped with a warming charm to keep the temperature just so. After two minutes the door opened and a single glossy loafer made itself visible. Soon followed it immaculate pressed robes, an expensive air all topped with glaringly platinum hair that made Hermione squint. Or perhaps she was simply glaring at the blonde's very smug smirk.

Draco Malfoy stepped into the room, made his way around the table and seated himself opposite Hermione. He took out his shiny, heavy pen and some pressed parchment, some stiff vellum cards with his secretary's notes and placed all these precisely just so on his area. After this ritual, he said,

"How was your date, Granger?" He punctuated his query with a distinct snicker.

"That's your opening? I can't believe this! How would you know about my date?" was the testy reply.

"Gregory Markham is a floor below the office responsible for submitting files to my office. Word gets around, especially his."

"What?" A particularly piercing shriek rent the air just as the door opened to admit the fellow committee members.

Upon their entrance, the conversation between Granger and Malfoy ceased, but the tension of the conversation remained high throughout the meeting.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

Draco Malfoy had just recently been awarded Most Promising Entrepreneur by English Wizard Business Digest after his recent acquisition of Tooley's True Remedies, a successful wizarding pharmaceutical firm. Upon their graduation at Hogwarts, where Hermione topped the batch, Draco started investing his copious gold reserves into businesses and owns a varied number of holdings.

Hermione had risen meteorically in the ranks of the Ministry, along with a skyrocketing fallout in her relationship with Ron, and sat in a very exclusive council of elected wizarding economists within the Ministry simply called _Economitsts_. She also held a rank with the first ever wizarding think tank, Wizarding Union for the Betterment of Magical Society, comprising of international wizarding intellectuals. She chose to fix the economy and as a result of this fix could improve the standard of living of the whole British wizarding society but most importantly of other magical creatures. She also could set up fiscal policies that would allow house elves eligible for wages, a recent success that altered the course of life of Magical Creatures, an example setting a trend for the rest of the world.

The _Economists _and the top ten wizarding business leaders met quarterly met as a committee in The Meeting of Figures to assess the economic stability and acceleration of the British wizarding society. This was the fourth year of the meeting.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

It was around seven when the meeting ended and everybody was ready to go home.

"What do you mean word gets around?" Hermione furiously whispered as she and Draco strolled towards the lifts, along with other committee members.

Draco gently shushed her as a response, aware of the presence of other members. When they reached the lobby floors, Hermione and Draco walked out together, hands in over-robe coats.

"Well?" Her breath fogged about her head.

"Let's walk on to that restaurant. I'm starving." After the shush of their shoes on the frozen cobblestones, Hermione said,

"That restaurant doesn't serve halfway decent food. Let's head on to Granville and Gouds instead."

Draco looked at her, surprised- they always had the halfway indecent food at the corner resto. After the fist year of the Meetings, they had gone out once every four months. The first was on the premise that they would continue to talk about the topics not included in the meeting. The evening spun on, by two in the morning, Hermione felt better than she had ever since her break up with Ron and the ensuing tension with Harry who had been caught in the crossfire. Leslie was wondering why Miss Granger went into work so much sunnier and less frazzled.

Draco stepped closer to Hermione and grabbed her arm. They apparated away with Hermione's startled look. Thank goodness she managed to land gracefully on her feet, although that must have been partly because of Draco's hand still supporting her. They stepped up to the maître d' who looked at them in surprise. Theirs were famous faces in the seas and crowds, apparently.

Upon Draco's haughty stare the maître d' coughed and said;

"Table for two." With a sweep of his hand, he allowed Draco and Hermione to pass by him. He managed to procure tables that were apparently to Draco's liking, his eyes unmarred by a dissatisfied glint. He waved the maître d' away, and pulled a seat out for Hermione. Immediately after Draco seated himself, Hermione dived on in.

"Well?" Hermione breathed with excitement and anticipation.

"Well, he went on and on, apparently, raving about your wit, charm and intelligence. I don't know what you made him eat Granger, but the bloke was halfway enchanted I tell you."

"Oh, really?" Hermione nearly bubbled with relief, her eyes twinkling. "And here I thought I must have stumped him dry! Oh Malfoy, you can't imagine how happy I am!"

"So glad you appreciate his thoughts, Granger, though let's not forget he's a douchebag," Draco commented wryly.

A waiter appeared at Hermione's elbow, and handed her the menu, and one to Draco too. Hermione smiled at her menu.

"Care to tell me what's so brilliant in that menu?" Draco butted in.

Hermione wouldn't tell him that his comment made her feel so much better, comforted. Even though the date with Gregory was a disaster, she was feeling much more confident that she wasn't such a klutz.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

They ate. They talked about the recent economic events, the recent book releases, the new potion development, Draco's new businesses, Hermione's cat, Blaise's love life, Luna's nargles, and Draco's love life.

"She was beautiful, but quite daft. She didn't understand that the meeting was about the acquisition, _not_ just about the profit," he complained.

"Oh Malfoy! You are too horrible!" Hermione was laughing uncontrollably at the disgusted look on Draco's face.

Draco stared at her for a moment, with a stunned look on his face.

"What?"

…and her eyes are twinkling and her laugh was tinkling… could it be…

"Nothing, Granger. Are you going to finish that?" he said as he swiped a piece of Hermione's cake.

They stood at the porch of Granville and Gouds, laughing.

"It was nice seeing you again, Malfoy. Thank you for dinner," Hermione smiled widely.

"It was nothing, really. Now you owe me," Draco said wit a smile tugging at his eyes.

"Sure, Mr. Slytherin! So gallant," Hermione knew she was flirting, but the heady feeling of the post-meeting meeting was getting to her head (along with the fine wine, good food and dare she say it? _Handsome _company. Oh and also the fact that she wasn't the least bit awkward).

"That's me all over, Granger" he said with a soft smile.

"Goodnight, Draco," she smiled.

They both stood rooted to a spot, attracting like magnets together.

"Hey, look over here!" a rude shout broke the magic, along with a blinding flash and the pop and fizzle of the wizard's camera. "Smile for the Daily Prophet, folks!"

Draco strode over to the heckler, but Hermione stopped him with a hand to his elbow.

"It's not worth it, Malfoy." She tugged on his arm again and pulled them into the restaurant again. The maître d' turned a surprised eye at them, coming back so soon after being the last customers in the house.

"We have to use the floo, there's paparazzi outside," Hermione said curtly, a little upset and her high lost.

They walked in silence to the floo, where the maître d' soon left them.

"I'll take care of that bastard, Granger. Lighten up," Malfoy tired to reassure her.

"You don't have to. Nothing happened anyway. I'm just upset at how they still manage to ruin-"

"To ruin what?" he asked gently.

_Our moment. _"my privacy," she said instead.

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"'Til next time, Granger."

But he didn't let go.

Hermione gave his hand a returning squeeze, and gently eased her hand out of his warm clasp.

"'Til next time, Malfoy." She was sure he could hear the longing in her voice.

Hermione turned to step into the floo, grabbing a handful of powder.

"Granger!"

"Yes?" she replied, expectation and hope shining in her eyes.

Draco heaved a sigh. "Til next time."

Hermione threw the powder and called for home.


	2. Of Warlocks and Lady-witches

Author's Note: Corrected spelling! The ending should make much more sense now.

_freedomgeneration_

**On with the show!**

It was another workday after a post-meeting meeting with Malfoy. But Leslie didn't notice a glow. Ms. Granger was just her usual frazzled self, with a cup of hot coffee. Her heels clickety-clacked and her door shut.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

Come two-thirty there was a sharp knock at Hermione's shut door.

Before Hermione could raise her head to call out for the person to enter, the door opened and she stared as Draco Malfoy, immaculate as always, stepped up to her desk and dropped the Daily Prophet on her desk. A glance proved her fears. The paper screamed "Granger-Malfoy Love Affair!" along with a quite flattering (and very innocent-looking) photo of her looking up at Malfoy, smiling.

If Leslie's opinion was called for, she'd say that Ms. Granger had never looked softer and glowy, and that the man who just strode by her desk and gruffly asked if her boss had had lunch yet, and strode off could look at another person so yearningly. Or maybe it was just the warlock-lady witch novels she stashed underneath her desk.

Hermione looked up at Draco and said coolly "What a surprise, Malfoy."

"Look, great opening, Granger. It's impressively Slytherin and all that," Draco said irritably.

"But this" and sharp hand gesture between him, her desk and her, "is getting out of hand."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked with a little dread and a tinge of hope.

"The thing of the matter is that," Draco plowed on "you and I, we have been dancing around this- this elephant in the room- for three years now!"

Hermione leaned back in her chair, a mild horror and joy slowly overcoming her.

"This tabloid only proves it! Rumors are starting all over, and I propose to just give them something to talk about" Draco finished his lecture.

"Well?" he asked.

Hermione broke out in a smile.

"I thought you'd never ask." She raised herself off her chair, and went around her desk, just as Draco went halfway to meet her.

He caught her up in his arms, and she raised her lips to his and gently tugged on his soft hair.

_HG/DM HG/DM HG/DM_

When the couple exited Hermione's office, Leslie could honestly say that Ms. Granger was looking glowy again (if a bit mussed), and with her hand tucked into Mr. Malfoy's elbow, looked perfectly like a lady-witch in her favorite novels.

"Leslie, I'll be out for the day."

"Yes, Ms. Granger. Do enjoy your day." Leslie turned to enjoy the moment of romance in the air for a minute and penned a quick note to her dear friend Gregory.

-fin-

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